winking (at)

verb

present participle of wink (at)
as in ignoring
to dismiss as of little importance for too long the school just winked at the young athletes' hooliganism, dismissing it as a case of "boys being boys"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for winking (at)
  1. ignoring
  2. forgiving
  3. overlooking
  4. passing over
  5. explaining
  6. shrugging off
  7. papering over
Verb
  • Isaac Gonzalez, a traffic safety advocate and founder of Slow Down Sacramento, said roads like Valley Hi Drive were built wide and open, which can lead to drivers ignoring speed limits.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Republicans stripped away key delaying tactics in recent years by ending the filibuster in 2017 and ignoring the Judiciary Committee’s quorum rules in 2020.
    — The Conversation, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • Season one struggled to incorporate all of those elements of Lee without either forgiving or betraying his flaws.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The technique is simple, the result is visible and the cut list is forgiving.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • Around 40% of the building will be accessible without a ticket, with an amphitheater-like atrium designed for talks and performances, a bookshop, a children's art space, and Extra Large, a café with a panoramic terrace overlooking the Seine.
    — Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Locals on social media and at the press conference also criticized the governor for overlooking the damage in Milton, which has a population of fewer than 12,000 people.
    — CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • The probability of a hurricane passing over any particular point is low, especially farther from the Mexican coast, since most Pacific hurricanes tend to stay closer to Mexico.
    — Nicholas Grondin, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Related Articles The board previously resolved to erect new buildings for the Latino Museum and the American Women’s History Museum, passing over Arts and Industries.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of passing over
Verb
  • The decision was posted on the White House website late in the evening, and the notification noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.
    — Will Weissert, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Kate is once again explaining to Hal something very obvious about his own psyche and routine behavior.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • But on Tuesday, senators failed to advance the firms’ top legislative priority, shrugging off the threat of tens of millions of dollars that still could hit them this fall.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Part of it is that more women are speaking up about hair loss, shrugging off the stigma and reaching out for help.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of shrugging off
Verb
  • But many residents worry that the festive mood and infrastructure works risk papering over the security crisis that still affects their daily lives.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 June 2026
  • The improvement between Gemini 2 and Gemini 3 may be papering over a more serious flaw.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of papering over
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

winking
winking (at)
winking (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Winking (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winking%20%28at%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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